Saturday August 27, 2011

 

 

Our Visit to San Francisco

The Golden Gate Bridge Was Immersed in Fog

Friday, August 26

 

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I am going to make a quick entry concerning our visit to San Francisco, as Cerwin is finished with the chapel work, and we are just about ready to visit Calaveras Big Trees State Park for the afternoon and evening.

 

The scenery on the drive to San Francisco was quite different from what we are used to in Pennsylvania.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entering the Bay Bridge

 

 

 

 

I found a two-hour sunset cruise leaving Pier 43 1/2 that looked quite interesting, so we booked it during our drive from Sacramento to San Francisco. The cost was only $50.00 per person. It would have been easy to spend that much on a meal in this area.

 

 

 

 

Sea gulls were everywhere.

 

 

We had an hour to wait before boarding, so decided to get something to eat – for a few reasons:

It was quite cold outside – and we had just come from ninety degree weather.

If we got something to eat in a local restaurant, we got a voucher for three hours of free parking.

Alcatraz was slowly being covered with fog. You can barely see it in the distance. It is one and a quarter miles from where we were sitting.

 

 

Our snack

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cerwin’s Wild Strawberry Cheese Cake

 

 

My clam chowder

 

 

We could see our red and white cruise boat though a window in about the middle of the picture.

 

 

We were the second people on the boat so were able to choose a front row seat.

 

 

Leaving the dock where you can see the restaurant in which we had our snack.

 

 

Sea lions on Pier 39. We went by rather fast, and I quickly took this picture through a rather hazy window.

 

 

Some views of and from the boat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Approaching Alcatraz.

 

 

Alcatraz is an island of twenty-two acres, located in San Francisco Bay.

 

 

Between 1934 and 1963 it housed some of America’s most notorious prisoners.

 

 

The Bay Bridge over which we had traveled a short time earlier.

 

 

A delicious appetizer buffet was available after Alcatraz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a beautiful, peaceful evening – despite the fog that covered anything in the far distance.

 

 

 

 

Sea gulls seemed to be quite comfortable with people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This passenger enjoyed feeding the one in the foreground, while the other one squawked – but it wasn’t quite tame enough to eat out of his hand.

 

 

We also enjoyed this talented singer. He sang a love song for us, since we were celebrating our first date anniversary.

 

 

 

 

Later evening pictures. This one reflected the inside of the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was about the end of taking pictures. As we approached the Golden Gate Bridge, everything was encompassed by heavy fog.

 

 

Two relaxing, wonderful hours later our cruise ended – 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

 

 

 

 

Driving in San Francisco is quite different from our local, country roads.

 

 

This was our view of the Golden Gate Bridge as we left the city.

 

 

It was a fabulous way to celebrate the anniversary of our first date.